Trixie Starr Bio

Here’s a little biography article of Trixie, a character I created when I first moved to Hudson.

by Jamie Larson

Her wig might not always be on perfectly straight and her five-o-clock shadow might poke through her makeup from time to time but Trixie Starr might just be the most industrious drag queen you’ll ever meet, and man does she love Hudson.

“Hudson is a great place if you want to have a good time. Night life is important.” Trixie says. “At my parties you can forget what’s getting you down and enjoy yourself. When there’s a drag queen at the door you know all the boring old rules and norms don’t apply anymore. It’s easier to cut loose.”

Trixie is the queen of multitasking. Along with hosting her famous Trixie’s Whore House dance parties, community events and game nights all year Trixie also puts on an apron and goes to work at Trixie’s Oven, baking delicious cookies she sells all over Hudson and at the Hudson Farmer’s Market. She also welcomes travelers into her swank AirBNB called Trixie’s Bed, Bath, & Biscotti (www.TrixiesBBB.com) The newly renovated, comfy suite is the perfect place to stay for a truly authentic Hudson weekend.

“I’m very pragmatic,” says Trixie, from behind a big smile and her signature round white shades, “I like to give people little moments of happy, whether that’s a laugh or a cookie or a comfortable space to spend the night.”

One of the most important things in the world to Trixie is that Hudson continues to have a gay pride parade. As the parade’s initiator and one of the original founders, Trixie says that while it’s a ton of work, when she sees how important it is to people, especially LGBTQ kids, it means everything. That’s why, when the 2016 Hudson Pride Parade was suddenly canceled, Trixie sprang into action. With the help of friends John Schobel and Rob Bujan, and a new Pride parade committee, in a matter of weeks, OutHudson, Columbia County’s new LGBT organization announced there would be a parade and a weekend of parties and events the third weekend of June. OutHudson encapsulates the amazing spirit of unity and community that exists in Hudson.

“So many people came up to me in shock. It was really heart-breaking to lose this thing that’s been such an important part of our community.” Trixie said, “Kids came up to me crying, asking why there wouldn’t be a parade. There was only one thing to do, and that’s to say, ‘of course, of course there will be a parade!’ And then you move heaven and earth to make it happen. And we did, and we had so much help from so many great people.”

But where did this hard working civic-minded drag queen come from? Did she emerge pristine and bedazzled from Hudson’s swampy bay? Well, no. As fabulous as she may be, she was born in a dark gray conference room, Where Rich, a plucky, young Manhattan financial analyst led mind-numbing training seminars on reconciliation/accounting software. To keep himself sane he told jokes which turned into a routine which turned into the personality who is Trixie. Then, when he moved up to Hudson in 2006, Trixie got dressed and hosted her first “Trixie’s Whorehouse Dance Party; the name playing off the Hudson’s history as a red light district.

“My Trixie character is more masculine than I am, she’s also very hard-working and no nonsense, she shows up on time and does her job.” said Rich, who juggles just as many jobs as Trixie does. “I’m not trying to be a woman. I’m just saying I can dress how I want, I can act how I want, and when I’m hosting a party – the rules you were worrying about, about how you should act, if people are going to judge you for dancing, none of that applies because I’m here! You can really be yourself, or if you want, you can be someone else too.”

“I don’t sing or lip sync, I don’t do a big performance, I tell jokes and I create an atmosphere,” Trixie says. “People are worried about so many things, If I can help make people feel happy or organize a parade where a kid can feel accepted than I’ve done something good. It’s not a bad way to spend a life.”